Gov. Perry Visits Fort Hood, Speaks About Ebola Epidemic

Gov. Rick Perry visited U.S. Army troops in Fort Hood, Texas Thursday morning ahead of their deployment to Liberia to help combat the spread of Ebola.

Part of a recent Department of Defense deployment that will send more than 3,000 troops to West Africa, over 500 troops stationed at Ft. Hood are expected to deploy to Liberia by the end of October.

Their mission will be constructing facilities to be used in the housing and care of Ebola patients. They will not have contact with Ebola patients.

Gov. Perry noted that despite the thousands of miles between the U.S. and Africa, the Ebola virus is truly a global threat.

"In a closely interconnected world what affects people in one part of the globe, if left unchecked, will eventually affect those elsewhere," said Gov. Perry. "Therefore, we must deal with this threat where the epidemic is at its worst. The efforts our troops will undertake to end this outbreak will mean greater safety and security for those in West Africa as well as all of us back at home."

Gov. Perry announced Monday (Oct. 6) the creation of the Texas Task Force on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response to assist and enhance the states' readiness to combat and respond to the spread of infectious diseases like Ebola.

The 17-member task force is comprised of experts from across Texas, including Vickie Sutton, associate dean for research and faculty development at Texas Tech University's School of Law. Sutton also serves as the director of the Center for Biodefense, Law and Public Policy.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the recent epidemic in West Africa is the largest Ebola outbreak in history.